Heartless
by Insolent Lynx
Summary: Raven and Rose Stone lived a moderately normal life until their parents went to study the darkness in people's hearts. Now, years later, the pit in Raven's stomach turns to reality as the two sisters are swept across worlds just to find one simple truth.
1. Prologue to Destruction

Raven stood at the edge of her balcony, bored out of her wits. Humoring her sister- just this once, for her birthday- suddenly seemed like a less-than-good idea. She sighed dismally; it was too late to reconsider now, especially since they were already here. Even though Rose was sixteen tomorrow, she still had an unhealthy obsession with princesses. And so here they were.

A rented castle, with rented servants, and rented, itchy, fancy clothes. Rose was in Heaven without death, and Raven, conversely, was in Hell. She shifted uncomfortably in the tight black corset that synched over the long sleeved violet gown she'd beeen given. She had declined a hoop skirt, and mercifulyy, her siter hadn't pressed the issue. Absently, Raven wondered for the millionth time if she could lossen the cord that held the corset so tight to her. Having already tried and failed more times than she consciously knew, the young woman's hand merely twitched at her side. At twenty three, Raven had blossomed into a very pretty young woman. Her long hair was darker than the midnight sky, and she allowed the bangs to drop slightly into her large, almond shaped violet eyes. Her skin was pale and her face pointed, gicing her the unhealthy look of a porcelain doll. A gothic, very unhappy porcelain doll. Every time she tried to fake a smile, Raven felt like her face would shatter into a million pieces. The sinse of worry in the pit of her stomach had only grown stronger as the years had gone by.

Her parents, when Rose was scarcely four years old, had lost all of their money in a scandal involving the local government, for which both parents had been top researchers, The family had packed up and fled the home planet, touching down in a bipolar land referred to only as "The Rift." They'd set up in an abandoned mansion on the darker side of the planet, making a meager living off of whatever odd jobs they could find. Raven, headstrong and proud, had also done her best to contribute, which ususally meant acting as Rose's nursemaid. Within the next year, when the family seemed to be on the brink of bankruptcy, things looked up. Both parents were invited to partake in a grounbreaking experiment. Unfortuately, the experiment would take place on a distant world. potentially forcing the family to uproot themselves again. Noting that their girls, aged twelve and five, had made close friends, the proud parents were unwilling to drag their daughters away from a stable life. Instead, they banked on the hope that the experiment would pay well, and be over with quickly. They departed withing the month, leaving the girls to the inexplicably large mansion with a nanny named Annablelle- one of the family's trusted friends. Checks came in every week, and with Annabelle's help, the girls lived a relatively prosperous life. Week after week went by, and Raven, ever observant, ever keen to her surroundings, began to grow worried. The weeks begame months and the years, and Raven's parents still hadn't come home. More shocking than their prolonged abscence was the sudden, inconsistent rate at which the checks arrived. Finally, they stopped altogether. Rose, in her innocent play with the other children, was oblivious to the dark cloud that loomed on the horizon, but Raven, nearing adulthood, was not so naive. Deep in her sensitive heard, she knew something had gone terribly wrong. Her worst fears were confirmed, though not credibly, with the death of Annabelle, their trusted friend and caretaker. The nanny had been old, but healthy and reilient, and Raven took he runtimely death as an omen of ill luck.

Quick witted and ever calm, Raven had set out the very next day, seeking a job to sustain herself and her younger sister. She had no skills to speak of, but had always been very careful with Rose when she was a toddler. With this in mind, she ventured to the home of a weaponsmaster who had just had twin boys. His wife, tragically, had died in viving birth to the twins, but the master couldn't just quit his job if he wanted to sustain his family. At length, he agreed to grant Raven a third of his pay if she would nurse the boys and keep them from danger. Though the wages were meager, Raven had no choice but to comply if she were to keep herself and her sister alive. She only hoped that she could develop a more useful skill before the twins grew old enough to stay home by themselves.

It had happened slowly at first, and only in times of immediate crisis, but Raven knew that she had her skill. It appeared that she had some telekinetic and perhaps even magical abilites withing her. Diligently, she coaxed them out, learning to control her powers and use them to her advantage. More than once did her abilities save the mischievous boys from impending doom, and the weaponsmaster took notice. In secret he created a deck of cards for the young warior, which would answer the call of her magic, heeding her, and her alone. As a testament to his gratiude for her watchful care for his children, he presented her with the cards and began training her in martial arts and swordplay for free. Raven appeared to be a skilled warrior by nature, and her mysterious powers only helped her exceed every expectation the weponsmaster had for her. In addition to keeping an eye on the twins, she began hunting the rogue fiends for extra money, and was finally able to get ahead. Income was steady, and Rose was also proving to be good with swordplay, though magic was more difficult for her to harness. With both girls working in tandem, they would be able to earn enough money to purchase a ship and sisvern the fate of their parents. That day, however, seemed a long way off. For now, Raven felt it necessary to show her gratitude to Rose for her never-ending cooperation, and so had rented this place on the other side of theplanet for almost a month. It had taken up a vast amount of the funds, with Raven striving to make the experience as real as posible, but the elder sister didn't mind. She knew the importance of symbiotic relationship with her sister. And Rose had been thrilled to learn of her birthday gift, grinning from ear to ear and throwing her arms around her ever gentle sister.

Raven allowed a small, honest smile to light her sharp features. She felt good, knowing that she, as hard as she pushed Rose, still had her younger sister's love and respect. But even now, Raven had a feeling, a sickening knot in her stomach, that their luck was about to depart yet again. Shaking her head slightly, she released her grip on the balcony railing and returned to her lavishly decorated glanced around it mildly, not relishing the lofty air of the place. She believed herself to be a woman of humble background, and valued humility greatly. But a part of her insisted on her proud posture,her confident, graceful stride, and her quick, sarcastic, sometimes dry sense of humor. THe same part of her beleived that they, for all she and her sister had been through, deserved something of decent stature. She shrugged to the blood red sunset and sat in an oversized chair, a book cradled in her slender hands. Her deck of cords were easily within reach at her hip. resting in a pouch attached to a fine chain belt. The servants had insisted that her weponry was not necessary, but Raven, ever cautious, and been adamant.

At length, her violet eyes lifted curiously from the pages, looking instinctively out the window. She had suddenly run out of light, and a bitterly cold wind had replaced the normally blamy breeze that prevailed on this side of the world. Suspicious, Raven set her book down and went to the blacony. There were no stars, no moon, no heavenly indication of what time it was. Raven's hair whipped about as the wind picked up again, her sharp eyes searching the darkness. She found what she was looking for, but her eyes widened with dismay all the same. A globe of darkness was making it's steady way towards the castle, uprooting anything and everything in it's path. Concerned mainly for her younger sibling, Raven wrenched herself from the blacony and tore from the room. She caught her sister just as she rounded the corner of the hall.

"Rose!"

"Raven! Have you seen it?"

Raven nodded, "Yeah. We don't have a lot of time, we should get to safety, quickly."

Thinking fast, Raven grabbed Rose by the arm and half led, half dragged her sister to a lower section of the castle. She opened a door to reveal a small ship. It was no more than a one-person shuttle, really, and not intended for use beyond the city. But it was the best option they had. Raven pushed Rose into the seat and gave her hasty instructions, "Fly as fast as you can away from thisplanet. You will have to push the ship hard, but I have faith in it's design. Howver, take no chances, and land on the first hospitable land you encounter. Understood?"

"What about you?" Rose asked sharply, clearly unwilling to leave her sister to the mercy of the darkness.

Raven shrugged half smiling,"I should be okay. I know the location of a similar ship, I just want to make sure you get out of harm's way, then I'll follow."

"Okay..." Rose agreed at length. She highly doubted that there was another ship that would bring Raven to safety, but if her sister was sacrificing her life to save Rose's.. Then Rose wouldn't let that sacrifice be in vain. Raven, ever sensitive to her sister, noted the unease in the younger girl's eyes. She clasped her sister's hand in hers, gently, "Don't worry. We'll meet again, I promise. Now go- it's closing in."

Rose nodded, pulling the cockpit shut and kicking the thrusters into action. THe ship roared to life as Raven disappeared into the darkness. The coming turbulence didn't give the younger sister much opportunity to glance over her shoulder for her sister's lithe form, but Rose figured that it was too dark for her eyes to see anyway. She urged the sip forward, glancing nervously at the indicators as the ship shuddered. She knew that the ship, along with herself, would be sucked into the globe of darkness if she didn't pick up speed. Aiming carefully for astretch of clear land, Rose shoved the joysetick forward as hard as she could. The ship lurched ahead, accelerating to a dangerous speed. With a final burst from the thrusters, Rose cleared the pwerful suction of the mysterious darnkess. Her relsolve set firmly on her jaw, Rose pulled the ship upward, rocketing out of the planet's doomed atmosphere. The abyss she entered looked no more promising than the impending doom she'd left behind. The immediate area was blessedly clear, but Rose's sharp eyes could make out a myriad or asteroids and other galactic debris ahead. THe ship gave a moaning shudder as it struggled to deal with the sudden pressure shange, and Rose's ears popped uncomfortably. She swallowed hard and shook her head clear of the momentary confusion, then muscled the thrusters into gear again, keeping alert for any sign of hospitable land.

Back down on The Rift, Raven struggled to run in the confines of the dress and corset, but she knew she couldn't afford any further delays. Trees flew into the air around her, and was only through the use of her formidable telekinesis that she was able to stay grounded. Hoping fervently that her luck would hold, she pressed on. Quite suddenly, the suction of the darkness lessened, just as two massive feet touched down before her. Raven glanced up, wide eyes wary and searching in the darkness. A creature of considerable size, both in height and in girth, stood menacingly before her. Knowing that her moevements were too constricted for close range combat, Raven backed away, drawing a card from the pouch at her hip. The feet stomped down towards her, no doubt with the intention of crushing her. Raven aimed and threw, the enchanted card finding it's mark with the characteristic ring of adamantite. The beast reeled backwards in agony, clutching it's eye and howling it's rage. The card appeared back in Raven's hand, and she threw a second time. the beast, now blind and in considerable pain, hopped around violently, trying in vain to crush it's now unseen foe. Raven backed further away and drew out several more cards, fitting them deftly btween her fingers. The sucking winds had picked up again, and she had no time to mess around. Raven pulled back her arm and threw, the cards spinning iin paths parallel to each other. They buried deep into the monster's blackened skin, waiting their master's command. Raven snapped her fingers, and four explosions resounded, rending the creature into an insdiscernable mound of black, fleshy goo. The cards, suspiciously clean, materialized back in the pouch at a mere thought of their master. Ravne, waiting only for the beast to fall, sufficiently dead, had taken off again, hoping to find something that would protect her from the powerful suction of the wind. THe effect of her telekinesis began to wane as the strength of the wind continued to grow. All at once, the young warrior was lifted off her feet. She only just had enough time to get her arms up in a defensive position before she was hurled up into the mass of swirling darkness.


	2. Heroes and Hot Chocolate

Rose's ship groaned ominously, shuddering more violently with each manuver through the imposing rocks. Biting her lip nervously, Rose dodged under another low outcopping of space matter. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration as she was forced to steer the ship with both hands. Rose's knuckes whitened as she yanked hard on the yolk. For some reason, the ship was now lilthing to the right. The ship moaned in protest, literally beginning to tear from the stress of the two opposing forces. Rose, sensing the danger, let go of the youlk and flew, screaming, into a worm hole. A few agonizing seconds passed before the ship came rocketing out of the other side of the intergalactic portal. Rose attempted to regain control of the beat up vessel, but the steeringwas shot. Luck was with her though, and the ship projected a tumbling, wobbly path to a planet that looked hospitable enough. It surged into the alien atmosphere, and Rose braced herself for the impact. The foreign gummi ship slammed into the first district of Traverse Town with a crash that shook the entire region. Almost immediately, the town's curious inhabitants crowded around the still smoking ship. Rose, miraculously uninjured, pressed her hands to the cockpit and concentrated. She knew that the door was likely wedged shut, so her only option was to attempt to blast the thing off. She cursed herself for her inability with magic, and breathed deeply, trying her best to mimic Raven's composed stance. To her surprise and delight, the metal began to glow a bright red. She might not be able to blast it off, but perhaps she could melt a hole large enough for her to squeeze through. Her concentration doubled with purpose and the heat spread, melting a sizeable region of the side of the ship.

"Pull back! Somethin's comin' out!"

Rose barely heard the commotion outside the ship, so great was her concentration, but the sound of human voices gave her hope, and she redoubled her efforts. With a final, searing groan, the overheated section of the ship fell away, gagging everyone withing two miles with billowing, acrid smelling smoke. Rose tumbled out of the hole unceremoniously, but was up on her feet in seconds, staring back at the gathered crowd with wide, crimson eyes.

"Are you alright, miss?" A man with a southern accent asked cautiously.

Rose nodded, turning to him, "Yes, I'm okay."

"Where did you come from?" You look like you're a noble of some kind..." Another voice prodded.

Rose blushed slightly, realizing that she was still dressed in the attire of someone way beyond her station. The dress was a shimmering red to compliment her eyes and hair, and a gold corset forced the stiffened bodice to behave, even in light of the chaos that had just taken place. Gold sequined patterns were embroidered liberally along the full, bustle skirt and lavishly cut neckline. A gold chain encrusted with rubies rested at her throat, and a band of similar making had once held her soft burgundy hair in an elegant fashion, though her hair was now disheveled. Sighing wearily, Rose reached up and pulled the gold band from about her head and shook out her hair. Already, she looked more like her usual roguish self. She shook her head at the questions, "I come froma world called The Rift. We were attacked by a strange and powerful darkness, but I was able to escape in this ship. I'm not a noble, the clothes and whatnot were gifts from my sister, who had planned for us to spend a few weeks in the lap of luxery for my birthday. I'm not sure what became of her." Her face fell, betraying her worry and her guilt for leaving her sister behind. The first man who had spoken stroke up to her and clapped a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Then you're here about the same way as most folks 'round here. Everyone's been displaced from home by forces similar to the one you described. Why don't ye come into my shop and tell me more," he jerked his thumb to a building labeled for accessories, then continued, "Every bit we know might help out in the end. Name's Cid, by the way," he added with a smile. Rose nodded, resolving to do whatever she could to helpt the people here until her sister returned for her.

* * *

><p>Raven came to just in time to see the sandy floor that she was ona collision course with. Yelping in both shock and dismay, she thrust her hands out in front of her, creating a magic barrier that would absorb most of the impact. The sphere surrounded her, connecting with the ground in a furious gust of wind. Raven touched down lightly on her feet a few moments later, her wide eyes taking in her new surroundings. She seemed to be standing on slabs of sand-covered stone, perhaps a rough kind of marble, and there were about eight trees, two per corner of the gridded slab on which she stood. Not wanting to be caught unawares, and deeply curious about what had become of Rose, Raven strode off to learn more about this strange place she'd appeared in. She reached the edge of the slab and stopped suddenly, having walked right into a magical barrier that prevented her from leaving. She pressed her hands against the barrier, mumbling every disarming spell she knew of, but the magic wouldn't budge. She heared an odd, sudden sound behind her and turned to face the new occupants of this strange stage. There were about fifty of them, altogether. They were similar to each other, yet different. Their blackened skin and odd, pointed extremities reminded Raven vaguely of the monster she'd fought off back on The Rift. These were much smaller, but had an overwhelming number. Some were just rounded shadows of the creature on The Rift, some disguised as knights, some as cursed angels, and some were just globs of darkness that bounced erratically around the stage. Raven heard herself curse under her breath, whipping out her traditional four card hand. She threw several times, hitting a few, but missing most. She cursed a little more loudly this time, hating the confines of the dress and corset with a burning passion, but not having time to make proper adjustments. At this point, it was all she could do to keep the creatures from swarming her.<p>

* * *

><p>"You really believe that your sister could have survived such an encounter?" Cid asked once ROse had finished her tale. Rose nodded emphatically, "Yes. Raven has incredible powers... I'm sure that she survived. We have a strong bond as sisters. Surely I would feel it if..." She shook her head, a knowing smile forming on her painted lips, "She's probably on this crazy adventure as we speak... I just know it."<p>

Had she only known how true her words were.

* * *

><p>Raven snapped her fingers again, twenty cards exploding and driving the strange creatures back. The cards had long since stopped materializing in the pouch, and now hung about Raven's head and shoulders, waiting for the command to fly forth. It was rare that one would hit a mark- the shadowy creatures had a bad habit of slipping into the ground and becoming invulnerable. Raven, on the other hand, was beginning to get tired. The dress and corset was too dificult to move in, and her arms were getting stiff due to the heavily starched material of the sleaves.<p>

"Need a hand?"

Before Raven quite new what was happening, a blond man in a white trench coat had jumped down, grapling with a few of the monsters. As he could move without such ridiculous restrictions, he was able to dispose of the creatures Raven had missed without much difficulty. Once they were gone, he turned to Raven, "There. All better."  
>Raven quirked an eyebrow at him, "Thanks."<p>

"That's what heroes do!" The man stated, accentuating the word heroes, "So what's a lady like yourself doing in the collesium?"

"Collesium?" Raven repeated under her breath, her eyes sweeping the arena again, "Hmph. That's a good question. What were those things."

"They're called the heartless," Another voice answered her.

Raven turned to face the new occupant, but saw no one. Her brow furrowed as she wondered if she hadn't been hit in the head by some debris on the way here.

"Down here, toots," They heavy brookland accented voice prodded.

Raven glanced down, "Oh," She replied to the half-man-half-goat before her, "Sorry. So where do they come from."

"Darkness," The first man replied, "At least that's what we've been told. I'm Snow," he added, offering his hand to shake.

Raven obliged delicately, "Raven."

"Phil," The satyr added, not bothering with a hand shake, "So what's a dame like you doin' in a place like this?"

Raven shook her head and related her story as the trio walked out of the arena and into the lobby.

"Geeze, toots. I hope your sister survived all that."

Raven nodded, "Please. Hard as her head is, she' s fine."

"Brave thing to say. The truth is, I'm looking for someone too," Snow replied.

"Who?" Raven asked, guessing that there was something this guy needed to talk about.

"My fiancee's sister, Lightning. I know Sarah would be devestated if something happened to her big sister."

"Where's Sarah, then?" Raven asked, finding it odd that Snow would search for his fiancee's sister before his fiancee.

Snow just shook his head, choosing to remain silent on the subject.

Raven smiled at him, finishing the adjustments to her clothes, "That's alright, I didn't mean to pry."

She was much more comfortable now that she'd bought and changed into pants. She decided to keep the dress, but had had a hard time reisisting the urge to burn the corset. Now she took her blade to the skirt of the dress, leaving it to hang in graceful tatters about her hips. She slung the pink chain that held her cards over her hips at an angle, and returned her blade to it's card form and back into the pouch. Snow nodded, "Thanks. I have a ship that you can use to go look for your sister- just promise to bring it back once you find her."

"You would do that?" Raven asked, surprised.

Snow shrugged, "It's family. I kinda know how that goes."

"Alright, it's a deal."

"Mm. Wait here while I go and tune it up. I'll come get you when it's ready."

Raven nodded and watched him go. Once you got past the oversized ego and the whole "hero" thing, Snow was actually a pretty decent guy.

Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

"Who's that?"

"Hmm? Oh... That's... Trouble."

"Trouble?"

"His name's Sephiroth. He was a hero once, but, for some reason he turned. He's a villain now."

"Never would have guessed, "Raven replied sarcastically, looking the man named Sephiroth over. He was dressed head to toe in black leather, most notably a long trench coat with armored shoulders. His silver hair was long, reaching to about his knees, and he carried a sword that may well have been the worlds largest skewer or needle. His eyes met her's for a brief moment, vivid green clashing violently with darkest violet, before he turned to face another man.

"And him?"

"Cloud. Apparently he and Sephiroth know each other."

"I'm guessing it's not a friendly relationship," Raven ventured, looking over the new man, Cloud. He weas dressed, if it was possible, even more strangely than Sephiroth. A dark blue uniform with metal rings going partially down the left leg, brown boots, a deep red cape, and a gold grappling claw on one hand. He also wore armor on his shoulder, but his seemed more worn, with bolts sticking out and resembling spikes. His sword was not as long as Sephiroth's but was quite wide. Raven figured it would hurt just as much to get hit with the flat of the blade as it would the edge. The sword appeared to be wrapped in bandages, but Raven didn't have half a guess as to why. Cloud himself was not very tall, but well built all the same. He had blond hair that stuck out at odd angles and blue eyes that had a vivid glow similar to Sephiroths.

"This doesn't look so good," Raven pointed out as the two men faced off.

"Ah! Hey! Hey, guys! Get an arena or somethin', you're disturbin' the peace of the- hooo boy..."

Midway through Phil's angry ranting, a large foot made completely of ice crashed down between the two men, who had jumped back to a safe distance.

"What the heck is that?" Raven asked critically, looking upward.

"Ice Titan... Herc... I gotta get Herc!" Phil stammered before running off.

The Ice Titan kicked out, sending Cloud flying. Sephiroth had dodged nimbly out of the way. Raven ran forward, casting a cure spell on Cloud, "I'll help out!"

She pulled her blade card out of the pouch and summoned her weapon to her. It was a dual ended spear, with blades that resembled cruel crab claws. The middle could be separated into two individual blades with adjustable lengths. Before she headed into the fray, Raven drew out the majority of her cards, preparing to make a charge for the head. She ran quickly to avoid the chunks of ice that fell from the Titan has Cloud and Sephiroth hacked away, her cards following her in an arrowhead formation. Raven used her teleport skill to get up to the head, scoring a few hits has her cards burried themselves deep into the ice.

"Get back," She commanded the other two, who were quick to obey, partially because of the sweeping motion the Titan made with it's arm. Raven reappeared back down on the ground, giving her fingers a quick snap and allowing the cards to explode in a myriad of fire and ice. She had reduced the Ice Titan to a mere pile of frost.

"Holy..." Cloud muttered, blinking a few times. Sephiroth just looked strangely at her.

"What happened here? Where's the Ice Titan?" Hercules asked, running onto the scene.

Sephiroth pointed with his sword to the pile of frost, then at Raven, "Ask her," he said simply before walking away.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted, running after him.

Raven shook her head, "Just thought I'd help out."

"Uh... Thanks."

Phil stared at her, opened mouthed, "Toots, that's gotta be a record."

"Eh."

"Hey Raven... Is it cold or is it just me?" Snow asked, reappearing.

"She just decimated the Ice Titan, pretty boy. That's why it's cold."

"Wow... So much for the damsel in distress thing, huh? Anyway, your ship's ready and waiting."

"Thanks, Snow."

"Hey, toots- if you're not sure where to go, you oughtta try lookin' around Traverse Town. Word is that there's a lotta displaced people like you that end up there."

"Thanks. I'll head for the town. See you around, Snow, Phil, Hercules," Raven waved farewell, heading for the ship.

* * *

><p>Rose supported her head in her hand, stirring her hot chocolate dismally. Many other cups of hot chocolate- most of them full- surrounded her. Apparently Cid thought the teen could go through hot chocolate at the same rate he went through beer.<p>

"Did I ever tell you the story of how my precious ship saved my life once?"

Rose groaned in response. Cid had told no less than fifty stories thus far- and they had all been the same one. Cid placed yet another mug of hot chocolate before the teen and began the story again, his words slurred by the alcohol he'd consumed. Rose found her mind wandering, not caring about what the man had to say in the least- she'd heard the story in it's entirety more times than she knew, why should this one be any different?  
>"An' I said, 'Oh, Lady Luck! Don't fail me now!'" Cid recounted emphatically, "An' then, with a migh'y crash-"<p>

On cue, a crash resounded outside the First District. Rose jumped, then looked suspiciously at her mug of hot chocolate, wondering if Cid had somehow spiked it. But the former pilot had jumped too, and looked curiously out the window of the shop.

"Unless my ears are mistaken, that sounded like a ship..."

Rose jumped up and sprinted, dress, heels and all out of the shop.

"I ne'er said i'was yer sister's!" Cid called after her, finding it difficult to get up in his drunken stupor.

The dark haired woman that walked cautiously into First District was a welcome sight to the redheaded teen.

"Raven!" Rose cried in disbelief, rushing to embrace her sister in a tackle that sent them both to the ground. Raven laughed and returned the hug, "I'm glad you made it outof danger safely, Rose," she said quietly, her sultry voice breaking with relief.

Rose dragged her sister up, "I'm just glado to see you again. I wasn't sure if you'd made it out of that mess back home."

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire. I ended up in a place called the Collesium. I was attacked by these things- Heartless, I think they were called. Thought I was a goner."

"Yeah right," Rose laughed nervously, the idea of anything defeating her sister making her tense.

"If anything could it would be those things. I wish I knew what they were- where they came from. It's like... I felt a connection with them. I think they may have something to do with our parents..."

"They come from the darkness in people's hearts," Cid said, finally making his way out of the shop, "But I'm no expert. If you want to know more, ask Leon. He and Aerith should be in the hotel in Second District. Be careful though, First District's the only safe place I know of. Damn heartless've run rampant everywhere else. Leon and Yuffie have been trying to drive 'em back but..."

"I'll handle it," Raven said smoothly, eager to finally get some answers, "Thank you for watching Rose while I was away," She added graciously, remembering her manners

"No problem. Name's Cid."

"Cid then. Thanks again. Come on Rose."

Rose sighed her relief, fearing that Raven was going to leave her in Cid's "Hot Chocolate Care" again.

"I'm glad you're letting me come along. I'm curious about what happened to mom and dad too," She said as they approached the door to the Second District.

"That's the only reason," Raven replied quickly, "and I'm still uneasy, with you being unarmed."

"Bah!" Rose scoffed, "I'm just as good with my fists as I am with my swords."

Raven sighed, "We'll need to get you some new ones. But DON'T think you're coming with me on this journey."

"What?" Rose yelped, "What do you mean?"

"Who else is going to hold down the fort while I'm away? From the sounds of it, they need an expert swordsman here, and there's no one better than my little sister," Raven added lightly. A sudden image of a man with silver hair and vivid green eyes flashed into her mind, but she dismissed it with a shake of her head. That was a match she'd ensure would never happen.

"Except you."

"What?" Raven asked, her sister's voice snapping her back into reality.

Rose rolled her eyes, "I said: No one's better than me, exept you."

"Oh. Yes. Right. Exept me. But since I'll be off finding us answers, you'll "just have" to do."

"You're hillarious. Now, you gonna open that door, or are we gonna stare at it some more?"

Raven smirked at her headstrong sibling, "I'll open the door once you fix your attire. I don't imagine you'll be much help in a fight wearing that."

Rose looked down at herself, her eyes wide, "Gods damn it, Ray! Why didn't you say something sooner!"

Raven smiled after her sister as she ran awkwardly to the Items Shop. She returned moments later in an outfit more suitable for a fight. She had done like her sister and kept the dress, but had cut the sleaves off completely, leaving only the sweetheart neckline of the stiff bodice that zipped in back. The skirt was almost completely gone as well, only a few long pieces hung in the front and back, allowing the young warrior to show off her toned legs- now donning black short-shorts and knee high leather boots. It was Raven's turn to roll her eyes, "Alright then. Let's go."

"I'm pumped!" Rose giggled, darting in through the door the moment it was opened.

"Wheew... There sure are a lot of them, aren't there?"

Raven stepped in after her sister, nodding grimly, "Yeah... Well, let's get to it. I've got your back if you've got mine?"

"You bet. Let's clean house!"

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry if the break is abrupt. There was no better place to put it, since the next chapter isn't finished yet. Reviews ALWAYS appreciated.


	3. Kupopo

Five minutes later, the two siblings were approaching the doors to the hotel.

"What a workout," Rose commented, wiping her brow.

Raven smiled wearily, "Better get used to it, sis. Seems like there will be a lot more them, the more places we go in this town."

"Figures. Well, at least I can get back into shape now. I was getting soft at that castle."

Raven laughed, then regarded the new problem, "Well... You take gold, I'll take blue?"

"OKay. Wish Cid would have told us what room."

"There's only four, it's not that bad."

"Three now. That one's empty."

"Make that two."

Rose shrugged, "Alright. I'll take the red one."

"I've got green."

Raven opened the door, and found a man, a young lady about Rose's age, and a boy of about fourteen years old. She quirked an eyebrow at the lot of them, "Would any of you happen to go by the name of Leon?"

The man stepped forward, "Yeah. Why?"

His cold dmeanor wasn't encourageing, but Raven kept up, "Cid sent me. Says you know about a man named Ansem. Not to mention, I heard you could use a hand with the heartless around here."

* * *

><p>"You know of Ansem?"<p>

Rose nodded to the girl who hd introduced herself as Aerith, "Sort of. We were hoping you and this Leon could tell us a little more- we think this whole heartless thing might have something to do with our parents disappearance."

"We?"

Rose looked to the duck and dog she'd encountered with Aerith- Donald and Goofy by name, "My sister and I. Raven's in the green room-"

"Then she's with Leon."

* * *

><p>"So. You think your parents and the heartless are connected."<p>

Raven shrugged, "I'm not one hundred percent sure, but from wht I remember, the experiments were similar. Studying the heart; heartless? I can't say for sure, it's just a gut instinct."

"Sora. I think you should go with her."

The boy nodded, "Okay."

"You have a ship, right?" Yuffie asked in her usual, cheerful manner.

"On loan. Do you know where I might get a different, more permanent one?"

"Talk to Cid," Leon replied, "He knows about ships and that sort of thing- he might even build you a new one."

"Great. Sora, stay here and help if the heartless show up. I'll go talk to Cid... Oh, and if you need help with the heartless, get my sister, Rose. She should be in the next room."

* * *

><p>"We'd really appreciate the help with the heartless, but wouldn't you rather go with your sister?"<p>

Rose sighed, "Ray said no. She says I should stay and help here, so she has a safe place to return to. But really, she just wants to keep me out of danger. I promise I won't be a burden."

Donald made a strange noise, "Wak! We're supposed to find Leon and this key! You said he's in the next room? Goofy, let's go!"

Just as the impertinent and ever impatient duck was about to open the door, it flung open, Leon running out, sword drawn.

"Leon!"

"Sora, let's go!"

Leon stopped suddenly, glancing at Rose, "Are you Rose?"

"That's me."

"Raven said you could help with the heartless problem."

"Sure thing. Let's get moving."

* * *

><p>Raven trecked back through the Second District and into the First, where she sought out CId in his shop.<p>

"Hey."

"Hey! Oh, where's little Red?"  
>Raven smirked at the new nickname her sister had accquired, "Back with Leon's group. I was told you know a thing or two about ships."<p>

"Yeah, but don't you _dare_ ask me to fix that thing your sister came in."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Raven laughed, "But I was hoping you might be interested in building one for me? I've decided to seek out the source of the heartless with Sora, the keyblade master."

"That... Sounds like a worthy cause... Jes gimme a second to set up shop, I'll be up by the entranc to the synthesis shop. You might want to step in there for a bit- your sister could use a weapon."

"Good point, "Raven agreed, "Alright. I'll do some shopping and let you get situated. I'll meet you upstairs in a bit," She added, swinging herself onto the ladder that led to the moogle's synthesis shop. She was familiar with moogle crafted weapons- they were good quality, and Cid was right- Rose couldn't use her fists forever.

"Welcome, Kupo!"

"Hi," Raven said, resisting the urge to fluff the moogle's pompom, "I'm looking for a good set of dual swords. Maybe even katanas, if you have them."

"We have these, kupo," The moogle offered up a set of longish, curved swords for Raven to inspect.

She held them to eye level, scrutinizing the blades with a careful eye, then testing the balance. She felt them out too, giving a few professional slashes and twirls throught the air. The blades felt good, Raven was sure Rose would get her use out of them, "I'll take them."

"Kupo...po..."

* * *

><p>"Don't bother with the small fries. Find the leader," Leon ordered.<p>

Sora and Rose nodded, "Okay, let's go kill stuff!"

Rose headed off towards the Third District, Sora in tow, beating the pulp out of any heartless that came their way.

"Don't be so tense," Rose instructed the boy, "Use that blade as though it were an extension of your arms... No, no. You're still moving to big, bring it in, be more efficient."

"WAAAAAAK!"

"What the- Woah!" Rose jumped back just as Donald and Goofy came crashing down. Sora wasn't so lucky.

"The key!" both of King Mickey's subjects cried out.

Rose slapped her head to the base of her hand, sighing, "You might want to get off of 'the key,' before you crush the air out of him."

"Sorry."

"Uh... Donald?"

"Not now, Goofy- Wak?"

Rose felt her eyes widen, "That... must be the leader."

A large heartless resembling armore floated up before them. Rose cringed, not relishing the feel of fists on metal.

"Rose!"

Raven jumped down from above, using the flat of her blade to stun the heartless, "Here. I picked these up for you. Thought you'd like them better than your bare hands."

"You know me so well. Alright, let's take care of this thing. Sora, Donald, Goofy- if you're ready?"

"WAAAK!"

Raven smirked, "I'll take that as either a yes or-"

"CHAAARGE!" Goofy yelled, running forward, shield in hand.

The two siblings exchanged glances with the keyblade master, "Okay, let's do this."

It was over before it started, really, the poor heartless being as outmatched as it was.

"That was fun," Rose laughed, twirling one of her new swords in her hand, "Ray, these swords are great, where'd you get them?"

"Moogle synth shop in First District."

"Nice, wonder if they do upgrades..."

Raven smiled, "Rose, they're moogles. They'll do just about anything."

"True. So... I assume we both heard the same story."

"Probably, but let's go over the facts real quick."

"Okay," Rose said, pacing back and forth, "Sora's the keyblade master, and as such, is the only one with the power to close the keyholes accross the worlds. Donald and Goofy were sent by King Mickey to find the keyblade master- Sora- and protect him as he sealed said keyholes. Right?"

"Right," Raven agreed, "The keyholes were opened to the darkness in the first place by a man named ansem. He was studying the darkness in people's hearts. His reports are scattered. There may be a connection between his experiments and our parents job- the subject sounded familiar to me. This puts us closer to the situation than I first thought..."

"Well... Sora should go with Donald and Goofy."

"Yes... I'll follow behind at times, and at others I'll try to clear you a path and find out more. Rose will stay here and make sure the heartless are kept in check, this will be our base of operation."

"Okay," Sora replied dismally, still unsure of himself.

"Sora, you should go with them," Leon added, joining the group with Yuffie and Aerith.

"It may be the only way to find your friends," the soft spoken lady said gently.

"We're counting on you!" Yuffie added cheerfully.

Donald held up his hands (hands?), "But you can't come along looking like that. This boat runs on happy faces. No frowning, no sad face. Okay?"

"That's right!" Goofy chimed in, "Ya gotta look funny, like us."

Rose snorted, "Well that shouldn't be too hard."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora retorted quickly, then laughed, "Okay. I'll go with you guys."

Raven smiled, "Then it's settled. I'll catch up with you once Cid finishes my ship, then I have to return the one I borrowed from Snow, so I might be a little while."

"We'll hold down the fort here," Leon said confidently. Rose, Yuffie, and Aerith nodded their agreement.

"Then it's settled," Raven said, running a slender hand through her hair, "You three, head off. I'll go check in with Cid. Rose, behave yourself."

"Yes Ma'am!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Sorry for two things in this chapter. 1: The length. It is outrageously short and slow moving compared to the last one. 2: The number of breaks. I promise there will be less and less starting with the next chapter, provided my muse comes back and I can actually _write_ the next chapter. So, just bear with me, and as always, reviews very much appreciated.


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